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US 11,028,775 B2Granted
Bleed air boosted engine oil cooler
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsSteve G. Mackin, Samuel J. Tutko
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An aircraft engine system has a turbofan engine with a lubricating oil system. An oil pump is connected to pump oil from the oil tank through a cooling circuit to the turbofan engine. The cooling circuit has a bleed air boosted engine oil cooler assembly with a liquid/air heat exchanger (LAHEX) connected to an oil inlet conduit and receiving fan air from a high bypass fan of the turbofan engine as the cooling working fluid. The LAHEX is connected to an oil exit conduit. An ejector downstream of the LAHEX receives bleed air from a compressor section of the turbofan engine. The ejector draws the fan air through the LAHEX.
Claims20
An aircraft engine system comprising:
- a turbofan engine having a core including a compressor section and further having a lubricating oil system;
- an oil pump connected to pump oil from the lubricating oil system through a cooling circuit to the turbofan engine, said cooling circuit having a bleed air boosted engine oil cooler assembly with
- a liquid/air heat exchanger (LAHEX) connected to an oil inlet conduit and receiving fan air from a fan of the turbofan engine as a cooling working fluid, said LAHEX connected to an oil exit conduit, and
- an ejector downstream of the LAHEX receiving bleed air from the compressor section of the turbofan engine, said ejector drawing the fan air through the LAHEX;
- an outlet duct from an air side outlet of the LAHEX connected to exhaust the fan air, said ejector having a primary nozzle ejecting the bleed air into the outlet duct;
- a bleed valve connected through a bleed conduit to the primary nozzle, said bleed valve having a closed position preventing flow of bleed air to the bleed conduit and an open position allowing flow of bleed air to the bleed conduit,
- a core speed sensor detecting speed of the core;
- an oil temperature sensor;
- and
- a valve control module receiving input from the core speed senor and oil temperature sensor and, responsive to a deceleration of the core, issuing a control signal to the bleed valve placing the bleed valve in the open position to protect operability margin even if oil temperature is not hotter than a trigger threshold.
7 more elements
An aircraft engine system comprising:
- a turbofan engine having a lubricating oil system;
- an oil pump connected to pump oil from the lubricating oil system through a cooling circuit to the turbofan engine, said cooling circuit having a bleed air boosted engine oil cooler assembly with
- a liquid/air heat exchanger (LAHEX) connected to an oil inlet conduit and receiving fan air from a fan of the turbofan engine as a cooling working fluid, said LAHEX connected to an oil exit conduit,
- an ejector downstream of the LAHEX receiving bleed air from a compressor section of the turbofan engine, said ejector drawing the fan air through the LAHEX, and
- a main fuel/oil LLHEX connected to provide oil cooling employing fuel, pumped from aircraft fuel tanks through feed lines for use by engine combustors, as a liquid cooling working fluid through a first feed line receiving fuel from a fuel pump supplying the fuel to a combustor supply inlet, the main fuel/oil LLHEX connected to the oil exit conduit to provide oil cooling to supplement the bleed air boosted engine oil cooler assembly;
- and
- a servo fuel heater LLHEX connected to bypass fuel from a second stage fuel pump through a servo loop, said servo fuel heater LLHEX connected to the oil inlet conduit.
4 more elements
A bleed air boosted engine oil cooler assembly comprising
- a liquid/air heat exchanger (LAHEX) connected to an oil inlet conduit and receiving fan air from a fan of a turbofan engine as a cooling working fluid, said LAHEX connected to an oil exit conduit,
- an ejector downstream of the LAHEX receiving bleed air from a compressor section of the turbofan engine, said ejector drawing the fan air through the LAHEX;
- an outlet duct from an air side outlet of the LAHEX connected to exhaust the fan air, said ejector having a primary nozzle ejecting the bleed air into the outlet duct;
- a bleed valve connected through a bleed conduit to the primary nozzle, said bleed valve having a closed position preventing flow of bleed air to the bleed conduit and an open position allowing flow of bleed air to the bleed conduit,
- a core speed sensor detecting speed of the core of the turbofan engine;
- an oil temperature sensor;
- and
- a valve control module receiving input from the core speed senor and oil temperature sensor and, responsive to a deceleration of the core, issuing a control signal to the bleed valve placing the bleed valve in the open position to protect operability margin even if oil temperature is not hotter than a trigger threshold temperature.
5 more elements
A method for cooling turbofan engine oil of a turbofan engine comprising:
- monitoring engine core speed with a core speed sensor;
- monitoring engine oil temperature with an oil temperature sensor;
- providing the engine oil through an inlet conduit for cooling in a bleed air boosted engine oil cooler assembly having a liquid/air heat exchanger (LAHEX), the LAHEX receiving fan air from a fan of the turbofan engine as a cooling working fluid, said engine oil exiting through an exit conduit, wherein the bleed air boosted engine oil cooler assembly has an ejector receiving bleed air from a compressor section of the turbofan engine, said ejector drawing the fan air through the LAHEX with an outlet duct from an air side outlet of the LAHEX connected to exhaust the fan air, said ejector having a primary nozzle ejecting the bleed air into the outlet duct and a bleed valve is connected through a bleed conduit to the primary nozzle, said bleed valve having a closed position preventing flow of bleed air to the bleed conduit and an open position allowing flow of bleed air to the bleed conduit, and a valve control module receiving input from the core speed sensor and oil temperature sensor;
- and
- issuing a control input from the valve control module to the bleed valve to open the bleed valve, bleeding the bleed air from an engine compressor section through the bleed conduit to the ejector in the outlet duct of the bleed air boosted engine oil cooler assembly if the engine core speed is decelerating to protect operability margin even if the oil temperature is not hotter than a trigger threshold temperature.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.